Preparation of a hybrid e-learning course for gamification

Abstract

Usage of game mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics and game thinking in a non-game systems is called gamification and recently becomes very popular in academia. In e-learning systems gamification is mainly used to increase user's motivation, experience and engagement. When using gamified design elements in e-learning, we must consider various types of learners and learning objectives that have to be set for a course. For a successful implementation, the cooperation of experts in fields of education, technology, psychology, pedagogy and design is required. The paper presents our first attempt to convert an e-learning course and its grading systems into gamified version using various gamification design elements (e.g. points, badges, leader boards, levels, progress tracking, feedback, and social engagement). Some of them are supported by popular LMSs, usually through some plugin that must be installed. One of the issues many teachers encounter is the limitation of gamified elements in official LMS that they use and how to get the most out of it.